BioShock Infinite - Irrational Games secret project revealed, coming 2012

[SevenInchScrew]

Today, Irrational Games finally revealed the secret project they've been working on for the last 3 years. It looks quite amazing. The game takes place in 1912, in the flying city of Columbia. You play the part of Booker DeWitt, who is trying to rescue a woman named Elizabeth. The trailer is available on the teaser site, and it looks really interesting. I'm very excited for this one.

{Click for larger}

{Official website with trailer}
http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/main.php

2K Games and Irrational Games Announce BioShock(R) Infinite
Creators of original BioShock(R) look to the sky in the next chapter of the award-winning franchise

2K Games announced today that BioShock(R) Infinite, a first-person shooter, is currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock(R) which has sold over 4 million units worldwide. Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky. BioShock Infinite is currently planned for release during calendar 2012.

Originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. What begins as a brand new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown.

The player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

“We are excited to expand the world of BioShock, which is one of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.”

With the original BioShock, Irrational Games won “Game of the Year” awards from Game Informer, IGN, G4’s X-Play, and BAFTA and redefined what players expect from a first-person shooter. “But when it came to begin work on BioShock Infinite,” said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, “we only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption.”

Levine continued, “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.”

BioShock Infinite is in development for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows(R), and is not yet rated by the ESRB.

 

[Taustin Powers]

Now this looks like the Bioshock sequel they should have made in the first place!!

Just can't get myself to buy Bioshock2 for some reason...I think I'll go straight to this one!

 

[ManhattanPrjct]

I guess real estate under the ocean became too expensive and they decided to lease air-rights instead.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

Just can't get myself to buy Bioshock2 for some reason...I think I'll go straight to this one!

Depends on what you liked from the first one. BioShock 2 was a better "game" to play, as the shooting and plasmid mechanics were refined a little bit, and it had a little more variety in the action. But, if you liked the story, and creepy pacing and atmosphere from the first one, BS2 was not as good. Though, it could just be the fact that experiencing Rapture for the first time in BioShock 1 was so amazing, it was kind of impossible for BioShock 2 to live up to it. But really, it was a good game. If you find it on sale anywhere, it is still very worth playing.

I guess real estate under the ocean became too expensive and they decided to lease air-rights instead.

I hate to be a buzzkill on your joke, but this game takes place in 1912, about 30-40 years before the events of Rapture.

 

[0098386]

Just about the only thing I liked about Bioshock was the setting!

 

[Taustin Powers]

But, if you liked the story, and creepy pacing and atmosphere from the first one, BS2 was not as good.

Right on the money!

Though, it could just be the fact that experiencing Rapture for the first time in BioShock 1 was so amazing, it was kind of impossible for BioShock 2 to live up to it. But really, it was a good game. If you find it on sale anywhere, it is still very worth playing.

It's not a matter of money, really - the game's cheap enough in most stores already. Mostly a matter of time. Though I do also find it hard to justify spending money on something, which I feel I "basically" already own. Bioshock is all the Rapture experience I need.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

Though I do also find it hard to justify spending money on something, which I feel I "basically" already own. Bioshock is all the Rapture experience I need.

Understandable. The game, as fun as it was, played very similarly to the first. So yea, even with all the slight changes and what not, you would be having major deja vu.

 

[Taustin Powers]

BioShock Infinite is currently planned for release during calendar 2012.

Ugh, I just now caught this little detail. That's gonna be a long wait! I'm really liking the look of this game.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

Ugh, I just now caught this little detail. That's gonna be a long wait! I'm really liking the look of this game.

*cough* thread title *cough*

 

[Taustin Powers]

*cough* thread title *cough*

Ah yes...I guess I was just too excited about a new Bioshock game that's not "even more Rapture" to notice anything else!

 

[niuniu]

Fresh and engaging! So many interesting elements crammed in there. Going to be less moody that the earlier games which many 'shockers might not like, but a change is always good to keep the boredom at bay.

Can we fly with roses or what?

 

[SevenInchScrew]

As usual, here is a very good take on the announcement from Rock-Paper-Shotgun. They go into a little more detail about the game, as the press that were there for the unveiling got to see some form of a demo. Give it a read...

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/08/12/irrational-anthem-their-new-game-unveiled/

 

[Sankersizzle]

Now this looks like the Bioshock sequel they should have made in the first place!!

Just can't get myself to buy Bioshock2 for some reason...I think I'll go straight to this one!

Nooooooooooo! The second one wasn't the same experience as the first but it's 100% no doubt worth a playthrough at least. the multiplayer is so different and crazy that i couldn't stop playing for weeks after it came out. it's worth it if you liked the first one.

 

[DdMac679]

Nooooooooooo! The second one wasn't the same experience as the first but it's 100% no doubt worth a playthrough at least. the multiplayer is so different and crazy that i couldn't stop playing for weeks after it came out. it's worth it if you liked the first one.

The MP sucked for BS2, but I did like the SP.

 

[sikkinixx]

I go away for a week and miss this huh?

Kind of disappointed. I was hoping Levine and co. would do something drastically new and different. I bet this will be fantastic, then spawn a crappy sequel that will tarnish the brand.

Hopefully they can imprve the combat from Bioshock, which was easily mastered with shock + wrench.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

I bet this will be fantastic, then spawn a crappy sequel that will tarnish the brand.

I just hope the "BioShock" name isn't being tacked on by the marketing department just to generate extra buzz for the game. I'm hoping there will be an actual connection to the world of Rapture, or Andrew Ryan, or something. The game itself though, I think looks really interesting, and I'm quite excited to see what comes of it.

 

[rezenclowd3]

Why should the Bioshock moniker be connected to Andrew Ryan or Rapture? It is more connected to the plasmids.

 

[SevenInchScrew]

Why should the Bioshock moniker be connected to Andrew Ryan or Rapture? It is more connected to the plasmids.

To me, the all-encompassing theme of both original BioShock games is the world of Rapture, in which the plasmids are only a small part as a whole. You have Ryan, Rapture, Big Daddies, Little Sisters, Splicers, Tennenbaum, etc. All of the "BioShock" games had all of those things in common, not just plasmids. And really, going by the lore in the game, the plasmids themselves were engineered by Ryan Industries, thus connecting him just as much as the plasmids themselves.

Think of it like Halo. The Halo games aren't just the story of Master Chief. They are the story of the Forerunners, the Covenant, ONI and the UNSC, the Flood, the Spartan program, the Halo rings, etc. So while Chief, like the plasmids, plays a large role in a few of the games and books, he isn't all that the entire story and its lore is all about.

Which is why, to me, I hope there is some connection to those original games and their world, and not just a name. If it turns out that putting "BioShock" in the name of a game and using plasmid-type mechanics ends up being like putting the "Final Fantasy" name and RPG elements in a game, I will be very sad.